Pair of pottery horses

China, Tang dynasty 618 - 906 AD

Height: 25 3/4 inches, 65 cm

The Tang dynasty is justly famous for the unsurpassed quality of its tomb figures. The frequency and exceptional sculptural quality of the pottery horses found in tombs of this period testifies to the importance the Chinese attached to this noble animal. During the Tang dynasty, models of horses were in great demand and the modelling of horses became increasingly natural and realistic. After 700 AD, in the classical phase, the potters started depicting saddles and trappings. The suggested movement of the saddle cloth which can be observed on these impressive horses, forms an essential ingredient of Tang realism. The slight exaggeration of the proportions, seen here in the high neck, relatively small head and lengthening of the legs, is also typical of Tang pottery.

Whilst pairs or even groups of pottery horses are not uncommon, it is extremely rare to find a well-matched pair of horses of these imposing dimensions. Although there are subtle differences in the stance and modelling, it is immediately obvious that these horses were made by the same potter.

A magnificent horse carrying a very similar saddle and saddle cloth was excavated in 1971 from the tomb of Prince Yide in Qian county, Shaanxi province. It was included in the exhibition The Quest for Eternity, Chinese Ceramic Sculptures from the People’s Republic of China (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1987) and illustrated in the catalogue, pl. 66, p. 133.

Oxford thermoluminescence analysis reports, no. C199r26 + C199r38.